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Glaciology Commons

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Polar region

2014

Articles 1 - 1 of 1

Full-Text Articles in Glaciology

Sustained High Basal Motion Of The Greenland Ice Sheet Revealed By Borehole Deformation, Claudia Ryser, Martin P. Lüthi, Lauren C. Andrews, Matthew J. Hoffman, Ginny A. Catania, Robert L. Hawley Apr 2014

Sustained High Basal Motion Of The Greenland Ice Sheet Revealed By Borehole Deformation, Claudia Ryser, Martin P. Lüthi, Lauren C. Andrews, Matthew J. Hoffman, Ginny A. Catania, Robert L. Hawley

Dartmouth Scholarship

Ice deformation and basal motion characterize the dynamical behavior of the Greenland ice sheet (GrIS). We evaluate the contribution of basal motion from ice deformation measurements in boreholes drilled to the bed at two sites in the western marginal zone of the GrIS. We find a sustained high amount of basal motion contribution to surface velocity of 44–73% in winter, and up to 90% in summer. Measured ice deformation rates show an unexpected variation with depth that can be explained with the help of an ice-flow model as a consequence of stress transfer from slippery to sticky areas. This effect …